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Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome Synonym(s): Reviewed 03-19-2003 Get Web page suited for printing Email this to a friend or colleague Studies with patients Table of Contents (click to jump to sections) What is Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome?Is there any treatment? What is the prognosis? What research is being done? Organizations What is Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome? Wernicke's encephalopathy is a degenerative brain disorder caused by the lack of thiamine (vitamin B1). It may result from alcohol abuse, dietary deficiencies, prolonged vomiting, eating disorders, or the effects of chemotherapy. Symptoms include mental confusion, vision impairment, stupor, coma, hypothermia, hypotension, and ataxia. Korsakoff's amnesic syndrome-a memory disorder-also results from a deficiency of thiamine, and is associated with alcoholism. The heart, vascular, and nervous system are involved. Symptoms include amnesia, confabulation, attention deficit, disorientation, and vision impairment. The main features of Korsakoff’s amnesic syndrome are the impairments in acquiring new information or establishing new memories, and in retrieving previous memories. Although Wernicke’s and Korsakoff’s may appear to be two different disorders, they are generally considered to be different stages of the same disorder, which is called Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome. Wernicke’s encephalopathy represents the “acute” phase of the disorder, and Korsakoff’s amnesic syndrome represents the "chronic" phase. Is there any treatment? What is the prognosis? What research is being done? Family Caregiver Alliance
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism (NIAAA)
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